Dr. Arthur Hong Receives THR Clinical Scholar Award

The Texas Health Resources Clinical Scholar Award has been given to Dr. Arthur Hong, assistant professor of internal medicine and clinical sciences at UT Southwestern Medical Center, for his research into how to improve the cost, quality, and delivery of healthcare.

Hong is the second recipient of the award, which provides $696,000 over a three-year period, following Dr. Bradley Lega, an assistant professor of neurological surgery, neurology and neurotherapeutics, and psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Hong’s work is said to align closely with the primary mission of Southwestern Health Resources, an integrated health network launched in 2015 by UT Southwestern and Texas Health Resources. Southwestern Health Resources established and funds the Texas Health Resources Clinical Scholars program.

“The clinical scholars program is about scientifically examining the quality and efficiency of the care we provide and determining where there are gaps,” Dr. Elizabeth Ransom, executive vice president and North Zone clinical leader for Texas Health, said in a news release. “We’re constantly pursuing these kinds of improvements in the network, and Dr. Hong’s work will help us provide higher value care that equates to a better experience for the provider and, more importantly, the patient.”

Hong, who has a background in both medicine and economics, has researched ways to improve the efficiency and quality of healthcare. His recent study published in JAMA Internal Medicine outlined factors contributing to unnecessary imaging, for example.

“I am most interested in how people—both patients and clinicians—interact with the health care system, and how it can be improved,” Hong said. “With a background in economics and health policy, I have been trying to understand and describe how clinical decisions are made.”

Hong’s research interests include innovation in healthcare delivery, assessing the clinical value of care, and quality measurement. His other published works include an analysis of depressive symptoms associated with smoking cessation and an overview of accountable care organizations.